Caregiver Interview
This paper will describe an interview of a caregiver undertaken to assess the course to get to their current career. Caregiver, Bertha Brown was interviewed in person in August 2014. Before the initial interview, the author provided her with the questions, so that she would be prepared. The in-person interview was done just to expound on the given questions and to add a few questions from the interviewer. This paper will provide a summary of the interview, describe the challenges and rewards that this career has given the caregiver, and the author’s reflections on the interview from the specialization of school counseling and how one handles the topic of death. Summary of Interview
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If a patient is participating in an activity that is detrimental to their health, like misusing their medicine or drinking excessively, the caregiver can sometimes face opposition from the patient’s children when she tries to stop it. According to Bertha, the client’s offspring tend to let their parents do what they please, regardless of their health conditions. The caregiver must use a stern, loving, but professional way to communicate the importance of these health choices. Whether or not the family listens to or ignores the caregiver, it is a part of the challenge of working with people in this life stage. Bertha describes the rewards of being with a client in elderhood as being able to provide companionship in their later days, preparing the client’s family for what lies ahead, and if the client is open to it, she provides information on what happens after death. For the most part, she appreciates the bonding that takes place between the caregiver, client, and the …show more content…
Sometimes there are instances of elder abuse and neglect that must be dealt with. In the United States there are laws that focus on this issue. There are many different types of elder mistreatment and this is defined as deliberate behavior intended to harm (Elder Mistreatment: Overview, 2013). This act is not only morally wrong, but can invoke criminal fines, lost of licensure, and imprisonment. The process of identifying and reporting this mistreatment is complicated and not often done. A way to counteract this injustice is to provide extensive educational training on elder abuse for all health professionals (Dow, Hempton, Cortes-Simonet, Koch, LoGiudice, Mastwyk, Cooper & Ames (2013). Bertha in particular, has a method for assessing for elder abuse and neglect. On home visits, she notes the appearance of the home and client and evaluates if there are any unpleasant odors. A lot can be discovered in the process of caring for the client and their body can tell many stories by exposing bed sores, bruises, and unusual pain. Bertha is vigilant in order to make sure all needs are being met, and carefully observes the interaction between the client and their family. Based on what she finds, she reports the good and bad to her supervisor for further
According to Missouri's Department of Health and Senior Services, there are three things that elder abuse can be classified as. It can be classified as abuse, neglect, or likelihood of serious physical harm. While all of these classifications sounds quite similar, there are some subtle differences. The Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services defines abuse as " the infliction of physical, sexual, or emotional injury or harm including financial exploitation by any person, firm, or corporation" ("Protective Services For Adults," n.d., para. 4). Elder neglect is "the failure to provide services to an eligible adult by any person, firm, or corporation with a legal or contractual duty to do so, when such failure presents either an imminent danger to the health, safety, or welfare of the client or a substantial probability that death or serious physical harm would result"("Protective Services For Adults," n.d., para. 4). Abuse, neglect, as well as likelihood of serious physical harm are all reportable by law. ("Protective Services For Adults," n.d).
Some of these cases of abuse are done in elderly homes by family members. In the first section of the article, the authors discuss the definition of elder abuse. The authors began with the most common types of elder abuse, which are physical and neglect. Elder abuse is the intentional use of physical force that results in acute or chronic illness, bodily injury, physical pain, functional impairment, distress, or death (Choi NG & Mayer J. In summary, the rhetorical analysis essay discusses how elder abuse and neglect affect the victims physically, emotionally, and professionally.
Elder abuse is causing emotional, physical or sexual harm, financial exploitation, or intentional or unintentional neglect to someone of greater age, whether it be from a family member or a stranger. Elder abuse has been a social issue for many years prior to any kind of legislation being made. Victims of elder abuse are often older adults ages 60 to 75 and the person abusing the elder is usually someone the victim knows, but could be a stranger in certain cases.
...how kindness to them. Unfortunately, many caregivers take advantage of the elderly by taking their money, by using violence and sexual interference, and by abusing clients emotionally. 96% of elder abuse cases are not reported. ( Medscape.com). The Ontario Network for the Prevention of Elder Abuse (ONPEA) is an organization dedicated to raising awareness about abuse and neglect of older abuse. (onpea.com). It stands to reason that there is a large problem still rampant in society where others are taken advantage of, or mistreated. Hopefully more documented information and raising awareness of the issue amongst society will allow more people to understand this as a problem and the abusers to be caught. These obvious abuse of rights are something that should be protected, luckily people become more aware of these circumstances that is happening on a regular basis.
Of nursing home staff interviewed in 2004, nearly 40% admitted to committing at least one psychologically abusive act toward a resident and 10% admitted to physically abusing a resident in the preceding year.[1] Not only are nursing home residents at risk of being abused by their caretakers but they are also at risk of being restrained, which may lead to a form of abuse. With five percent of the elderly population, or one to two million instances of elder abuse occurring yearly there is no doubt that elder abuse deserves serious consideration.[2]
Furthermore, assessment of the caregiver’s perception of the health and functional status of the patient, the preparedness of the caregiver for the job of caregiving is assessed.
Topics entailed in the book dwells on: first, getting ready and set which touches on talking with parents, gathering essential documents, researching the options, organizing your own life and when you can’t be there. Secondly, your parent and you that entails; adoption of the new role, knowing when to intervene, to defuse old struggles, managing day to day and the difficult parent. Third, caring for the caregiver. Fourth, healthy aging, heart, mind and soul. Five, tips for daily living and more help at home. Six, the inner circle. Seven, the doctor’s dos and don’ts. Eight, the body imperfect and matters of the mind. Nin, paying the way and paying for healthcare and tenth, legal issues as well as home away from home.
The authors assert there is a lack of research that recognizes each caregiver as unique, that an average caregiver does not exist, and that each caregiver’s experience and their reactions are related to their own lives as a caregiver, including their responses to stress and obligations. The authors theorize that diversity, socioeconomic status, and the caregiver’s culture should be considered when offering assistance to informal elder caregivers. Additionally, they argue that a caregiver’s role is not a new one, but emerges from an existing relationship and transforms as time passes. The caregiver identity theory assesses the caregiving journey
Nursing Home Abuse With over 1.5 million elderly and dependent adults now living in nursing homes throughout the country, abuse and neglect has become a widespread problem. Even though some nursing homes provide good care, many are subjecting helpless residents to needless suffering and death. Most residents in nursing homes are dependent on the staff for most or all their needs such as food, water, medicine, toileting, grooming- almost all their daily care. Unfortunately, many residents in nursing homes today are starved, dehydrated, over-medicated, and suffer painful pressure sores. They are often isolated, ignored, and deprived of social contact and stimulation.
Elder abuse in nursing home is a social problem that has had more and more attention in these recent years. “Elder abuse is the most recent domestic violence issue to gain the attention of the public and the medical community.” (Elder Abuse: A Review) According to the Senate Special Committee, about 5 “million older Americans are abused and neglected every year.” Abuse for the elderly can be considered a social problem due to the people who are in denial of it actually occurring, for example, the caregivers and nurses who do not consider themselves to be actually performing the abuse. It is a problem because the elders are put into these nursing homes by loved ones and ones who
The Theory of Caregiver Stress explains the primary caregiver’s social role, how they reduce stress, and how they cope with stress. Tsai (2003) was able to list several propositions in this theory that can be found and applied in the nursing practice. Many research articles have related or applied the Theory of Caregiver Stress in the recent years. This paper will explain those propositions in the Theory of Caregiver Stress as well as several examples that are applied to this theory.
Assisted Living Facilities abuse is a frequently occurring problem in our society (Hamilton). There are diverse categories of abuse that transpire in Assisted Living Facilities which are physical abuse, sexual abuse, emotional abuse, neglect, abandonment, and financial abuse. Samples of physical abuse would be hitting or beating the elders with an object or their hand, force feeding them or pulling their hands. Sexual abuse is the Assisted Living Facility employees having sexual acts with non-consenting patients. Emotional abuse is the employees saying things verbally to torment the patient. Neglect would be the employee does not take care of the patients such as providing hygiene. Abandonment occurs when leaving patients to fend for themselves. Financial abuse is when the patient’s family pays for the services that were not taken care of. “Elder abuse is fast becoming one of the uppermost law enforcement tasks of the next century, “said Paul Hodge who investigates crime against the elderly (Gonzalez). Since abuse occurs throughout assisted living facilities, state and federal governments should establish a type of punishment such as sending for employees to prison, ways to prevent abusing elderly’s is by inspecting employees ' criminal records, qualified staff, reporting injuries, having surveillance of the areas that do not affect patients privacy, promoting continuous family visits, and shortage of staffing.
According to Haley and Daley (2013), cancer as the main cause of the terminal illness in the paediatric age. For the recent years, the survival rates of children with cancer have increased significantly with 7 out of 10 recovers (Selwood, Langford, & Wright, 2012). Haley & Daley (2013) also mentioned that parents act as the decision-makers and as the primary carer, moreover, physical and psychosocial developmental factors of the child affects the perception of death as temporary and the capability to communicate and make their own decisions. Moreover, parents make the decision for the child as for legal matters, but the child needs encouragement to actively participate and to develop the sense of authority. Children may have a different idea of pain and illness, for instance, they may think that they did something wrong that is why they are suffering. Children may refuse or not participate properly in any treatment without the supervision of the primary carer. Providing the child and family with health education during palliation as well as helping them to the transition to adulthood is an important task for the nurse. Derby, Tickoo, and Saldivar (2014) mentioned that the major difference of between old and younger adults is the need for extensive support of the family. Decision-making for older people might include the patient’s family, surrogates and Advanced Care Planning (ACP) at the time they are not able to make their own decision. Derby et al., (2014) stated that “ACP prepares for lack of capacity in decision-making and relieves the burden of decision-making on others” and surrogate decision-maker “is a person whom the patient designates to make decisions if/when he or she is unable to do so”. Older patients need a representative, mostly an elderly act as a primary carer to make the decision for them or someone who will make
I, as the facilitator, tried to engage more thought into the question and asked her to think about a time where she really enjoyed doing something which brought her joy other than her children. A.D., reflected openly a memory of taking care of her grandmother before passing, she become conscious and this is noted by her stating she did not realize it until now, that she enjoyed taking care of her grandmother and loved helping people. Through this self-discovery another group member indicated how this same joy can be reverted into taking care of one’s self, A.D. was receptive to the feedback and widened her perspective on what self-care really meant. By becoming more self-aware, A.D. recognized a new aspect of herself. She became emotional and began crying thinking about the passing of her grandmother her level of trust in the group was apparent at this moment. This interaction taps into elements of psychotherapy as the client developed more awareness of the past she reflected on an inner, unconscious desire she had not realized before. The supportive environment from other group members allowed her to freely and openly experience this during the session breaking down the struggles this client had at the beginning of session when asked about ways in which they provide self-care. This dialogue continued throughout the session with another
Caregiving is an essential and very necessary aspect of the medical field. However, caregiving is also one of the most strenuous and stressful positions that exists. The patients require constant supervision, precise care and an extremely high level of patience, tolerance and skill. Eventually, this type of care begins to take a physical, emotional and financial toll on the caregiver. Because of the adverse effects of this profession, the Theory of Caregiver Stress was developed to aid those working in this difficult profession.